Updated June 3, 2010
NJ Revilla-García

HSIs invited to Green-Building Institute in San Antonio

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are invited to attend a complimentary Building Green Learning Institute to learn about best practices, resources and technology solutions for greening campuses. The Institute will take place, June 10-12, at the Westin Downtown Hotel in San Antonio, Texas.

Workshops focusing on financing green building, energy efficiency and retrofits, renewable energy technologies, and historic preservation and sustainability are planned along with a faculty discussion of emerging environmental curriculum trends and energy audit training for college students. The featured speakers for the San Antonio Institute include Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, president of UNCF member institution Spelman College; Robert Stanton Senior Advisor to Secretary of Interior Salazar; and Lisa Garcia, Senior Advisor to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.

The Building Green Learning Institute is part of UNCF's Building Green at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) initiative, which is underwritten by a $1.8 million grant from the Kresge Foundation. In addition to providing MSIs with information and resources to develop capacity for campus sustainability projects, this initiative aims to accomplish two major goals: to increase the number of buildings and structures on minority-serving institution campuses that register for and achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification and to increase the number of MSIs that are signatories of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.

Experts in sustainability, sustainable design, building and finance will share effective strategies for greening the campus infrastructure. Campus leaders responsible for advancing sustainability and green building are encouraged to register to attend and take advantage of free registration, lodging, meals, and materials.

The institute will feature informational sessions for presidents, vice presidents, and faculty. The Institute will include:

• A Town Hall Meeting
• Workshops on how to finance green buildings, energy efficiency and retrofits, LEED certification and more
• Model presentations
• A special session has been planned for faculty working to integrate sustainability in the curriculum and an Energy Audit training will be conducted for students.
• Institutions participating in the Building Green Institutes will be invited to participate in a sustainability assessment and MSI Green Report Card followed by a series of workshops and webinars.  

The Kresge grant has provided UNCF the opportunity to partner with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, American Indian Higher Education Consortium and Second Nature to help prepare all minority-serving institutions to integrate sustainability into their short and long-term planning," said Elfred A. Pinkard, Ph.D. executive director of the UNCF Institute for Capacity Building. 

Please click on the link below to register.

Register Now!

For more information, please contact, Arturo Cuéllar, Jr., HACU Director of Capacity Building at acuellar@hacu.net or at 210-576-3257.